The present invention relates to a system and method particularly adapted for pre-damage heat management.
Temperature control of physical objects has always been an important consideration. Managing heat in electronic systems is important since the higher temperatures lead to lower reliability and performance. Managing heat in electronic systems today is particularly challenging given the trend of electronic enclosures having increasingly smaller form factors and the electronic components having increased power demands. The thermal envelope to be controlled in computer systems is challenging given the ever-increasing higher circuit densities and higher clock frequencies that are encountered. Moreover, in such environments, the heating issues are generally widespread and more difficult to manage since power distribution affects all circuits and electrical components. It follows that failure to adequately manage heating issues may lead to the destruction of costly systems.
One pervasive approach monitors heat before it causes significant damage. Numerous solutions of this kind exist in electronic systems. One type includes use of conventional temperature sensors that are triggered when components and/or system temperatures, indicative of heat-induced damage, have been reached. Some triggering events usually occur just before or during the occurrence of fire, while others are the occurrence of smoke. Still other approaches, such as described in copending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/120,877, describe measuring fluctuations of electrical reference signal deviations of the circuit being monitored. Signal anomalies provide precursors for detecting potential fire and/or smoke damage. The anomalies when detected cause a controller to shut down power in order to halt heat damage. Another approach, disclosed in copending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/268,738, describes heat sensitive coatings that outgas when predetermined temperatures, indicative of heat-induced damage, are reached. When gas is detected, a notification signal is sent to a shutdown controller for initiating immediate power shutdown for the system.
Despite the foregoing, ongoing efforts continue for providing advancements in reliable and highly responsive methods and systems that respond quickly to events indicative of potential heat-induced damage. Without such advancements, the true potential of pre-damage heat management may not be fully achieved, particularly in computer systems.